Department Affiliation: Primary: Oncology;
Secondary: Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences;
Degree: M.D., Ph.D., New York University School of Medicine
Rank: Professor
Chair, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Director, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview
The procedure is designed to tackle obstacles that stop white blood cells from fighting cancer cells. NBC’s Robert Bazell reports. We’re back with big health news out of this weekend’s meeting of more than 40,000 cancer doctors. Tonight, there’s a promising new study getting a lot of attention. Doctors hope it could lead to a new attack against some of the deadliest forms of cancer. We get more from our chief science correspondent, Robert Bazell
Reporter: it is a new approach using the body’s immune system to kill cancer. it helped David, a retired Baltimore policeman who had advanced lung cancer .
I was at basically looking at living month to month.
Reporter: scan shows tumor, seen here melting away over a period of months. Ken Kirkwood, who had advanced kidney cancer, saw similar results.
I couldn’t believe it, but in about four or five months or so, i was starting to see shrinkage in my limp nodes and my lungs and the area where the kidney had been removed.
Reporter: doctors also saw positive results with advanced melanoma.
There is a common denominator for many kinds of cancer. This is really unprecedented. There are so many exciting opportunities.
Reporter: the treatment is in its earliest phase.
Typically in a phase one trial, you don’t expect much, but we saw activity, so some tumor, completely shrinking away.
Reporter: here’s how it works. White blood cells, which kill bacteria and viruses, often try to kill cancer cells, but the cancer puts up a barrier. The treatment is designed to bring that barrier down. Tumors shrank in 18 to 28%, depending on the type of cancer. At this weekend’s conference, planning is underway for bigger trials, comparing and looking at side effects. For more than a century, scientists have been working to harness the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Only now is that starting to pay off.
I just wanted to live long enough for the cure and maybe i have. Maybe I’m part of it.
Reporter: while it’s not a cure, for many, it’s a hopeful beginning. Robert Bazell ,
Courtesy of NBC News, Chicago.
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Just m oments before a live report for the evening news, ABC 7′s Greta Kreuz got the call from her doctor.
“He said to me, ‘You have lung cancer.’ I said, ‘What?! I’ve never even smoked a day in my life!’,” Greta says.
But, on the cat-scan there was a half-inch tumor on her left lung.
Lung cancer kills more Americans than Colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer combined. This year, an estimated 160,340 Americans will die from the disease, making lung cancer the leading cause of death in America after heart disease.
And the five year survival rate is about 15 percent, as the symptoms usually don’t show up until it’s too late. Some of those symptoms include:
–coughing
–shortness of breath
–wheezing
–hoarseness
–coughing up blood
–fatigue
–chest, shoulder, back or arm pain
–pneumonia
Laurie Fenton Ambrose, president of the Lung Cancer Alliance, says,
“We are seeing more, and particularly women, being diagnosed with lung cancer, who have never smoked.”
The Lung Cancer Alliance says 80 percent of new lung cancer patients either quit smoking years ago or have ever smoked at all.
Greta wondered what caused her cancer. Her parents smoked, like so many in the 50s and 60s. So, was it second-hand smoke?
Or maybe genetics? Her sister died of the disease, but she had also been a smoker.
Other possible risk factors for lung cancer are: smoking (including cigarettes, cigars and pipes), radon and asbestos exposure, lung cancer in immediate family (regardless of whether they smoked), military/veterans exposed to Agent Orange and certain other chemicals, those with respiratory diseases; e.g., emphysema, COPD and tuberculosis and hormone replacement therapy.
“I wish I could tell you we had an answer. We don’t, because this is a disease that has been so stigmatized…and so underfunded,” Ambrose explains.
Last month, Greta underwent surgery at George Washington University Hospital. At stage 1, the cancer had not spread.
Surgeons removed Greta’s lower left lobe as a precaution.
Greta says her lung capacity is almost back to normal. And five weeks after surgery, she’s back at work. and definitely one of the lucky ones.
“You probably have an 80 percent, if not a little bit higher, chance of being cured from this,” thoracic surgeon Dr, Marc Margolis says to Greta.
“That’s pretty good! Very good. I like those odds!,” she responds.
Greta didn’t have to undergo any chemo or radiation, but she must have frequent C-T scans for the next five years.
A team of researchers led by Dr. Goutham Narla at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in collaboration with scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, have discovered a previously unrecognized signaling network disrupted in lung cancer that can be turned back on by a novel combination of two previously approved FDA drugs. The drug combination targets a pathway to treat advanced/late stage lung cancer. The work highlights how understanding the basic mechanisms regulating cancer development and progression can lead to new uses for existing FDA approved drugs in the treatment of cancer.
“Because of the financial constraints and length of time it takes to bring new drugs through clinical trials, scientists are moving toward using existing drugs in new ways so that the process of translating the discoveries of today into the treatments of tomorrow can be accelerated,” said Goutham Narla, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Institute of Transformative Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Narla is also a medical geneticist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
“This ‘movement’ in science toward using existing FDA approved drugs for new purposes in the treatment of cancer has expanded our understanding of the pathways that cause the disease and significantly accelerates our ability to treat a greater number of patients. In many instances, every month makes a difference for a patient when dealing with terminal cancer,” said Dr. Narla.
Dr. Narla’s laboratory focuses on the identification and characterization of the genes and pathways involved in cancer metastasis. By studying the functional role of the KLF6 tumor suppressor gene, Dr. Narla and his team have identified new signaling pathways regulated by this gene family thus providing new insight into cancer diagnosis and treatment. The team’s research found that KLF6 and FOXO1, both tumor suppressor genes, are turned off as cancer spreads through the body. By using a combination of two existing FDA drugs — Erlotinib, a targeted cancer drug, and Trifluoperazine, a medication used to treat schizophrenia — the team developed an understanding of the properties that turn these critical genes back on, initiating tumor cells to die.
Since first discovering the KLF6 gene 13 years ago as a medical student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Friedman, Dr. Narla has been involved in the identification and characterization of the KLF6 gene and its role in cancer development and the progression of cancer.
This study appears online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Additional support for Dr. Narla’s research comes from the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University Institute for Transformative Molecular Medicine, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Narla is also supported by an early physician scientist career award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Recently, Dr. Narla has also been named the first Harrington Distinguished Scholar. This inaugural award provides physician-scientists who have potential breakthroughs with the ability to tap into grant funding, as well as a peer network of innovators and mentors within the University Hospitals Harrington Discovery Institute’s infrastructure to support their discovery efforts.
Dr. Narla is the principal investigator leading a multidisciplinary team with investigators at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine that includes Jaya Sangodkar, Neil S. Dhawan, Heather Melville, Varan J. Singh, Eric Yuan, Huma Rana, Sudeh Izadmehr, Caroline Farrington, Sahar Mahzar, Suzanna Katz, Tara Albano, Pearlann Arnovitz, Rachael Okrent, Michael Ohlmeyer, David Burstein, David Zhang, Katerina Politi and Analisa DiFeo.
Sunday, May 13th would have been Keasha’s 39th birthday. Team Draft marked the occasion by kicking off a week-long bicoastal tour in support of our national campaign to change the face of lung cancer. The tour took Team Draft to our 30th cancer treatment facility, to the set of Dancing With The Stars, and to Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. And none of this would have been possible without the generation support and donations of people like you. Please help us continue the campaign by making a donation today: http://www.teamdraft.org/page/content/donate/
Finding HOPE on the West Coast
Team Draft began the tour in Southern California. On Monday, we had the opportunity to sit down with the newly-appointed Director of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego, Dr. Scott Lippman. And on Wednesday, Team Draft achieved a major milestone when we visited our 30th cancer treatment facility since launching the national campaign: USC’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Thanks to cutting-edge research like that being performed at these state-of-the-art facilities, for the first time in decades, there is hope in the fight against lung cancer.
Applying revolutionary genomic approaches, researchers have now identified the molecular changes in certain genes that cause some lung cancer tumors to grow. This discovery opens the door for the development of targeted drugs designed to stop tumor growth in its tracks by interfering with the growth receptors in these mutated genes. These new targeted drug therapies are extending the lives of some patients by several months, and in some cases, even years.
The key to making even greater strides (and ultimately saving lives) is funding, but funding for lung cancer research is impacted by the stigma that it is a “smoker’s disease.” The truth is, anybody can get lung cancer—a fact underscored on Thursday by the tragic death from lung cancer of disco legend Donna Summers, who was a non-smoker like Keasha. That’s why Team Draft is campaigning to change the face of lung cancer and to raise public awareness. Thankfully, we are not alone.
Before leaving the West Coast, Team Draft visited the set of Dancing With The Stars to show our support for the show’s lung cancer awareness efforts. This season, DWTS Pros Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya performed a tribute dance in honor their friend and fellow ballroom dancer, Julia Ivleva, who is in the middle of her own battle with Stage IV Lung Cancer. Jonathan, Anna, and Julia embody the dance, smile, and live philosophy, and Team Draft thanks DWTS for helping to shine a light on lung cancer.
Raising AWARENESS on the East Coast
After completing the West Coast leg of the tour, Team Draft headed to back to the East Coast. We concluded the tour on Saturday by taking part in two events to raise awareness and funding for cancer research in Keasha’s adopted hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Team Draft began the day at Charlotte’s Park Road Park where Chris addressed a crowd of lung cancer survivors, advocates, and supporters at The North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership’s inaugural Free to Breathe 5K and Rally. The event raised money for lung cancer research and advocacy.
After the Rally, Team Draft headed to Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. As a Panther’s linebacker, Chris used to come to the Stadium to tackle opposing quarterbacks. On Saturday, Team Draft was there to tackle cancer by participating in the Keep Pounding 5K Stadium Run in support of the Panther’s Keep Pounding Fund and pediatric cancer research at Levine Children’s Hospital.
Team Draft’s national campaign to change the face of lung cancer would not be possible without support from people like you. Your donation will help ensure that we can continue to raise public awareness of the true nature of the disease and increase the funding needed to tackle it. http://www.teamdraft.org/page/content/donate/
To learn more about Team Draft, share your story, and respond and donate, visit www.teamdraft.org. You can follow the national campaign to change the face of lung cancer on our blog at www.thedraftreport.net, and don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/TeamDraft. teamdraft.org , and also chrisdraftfamilyfoundation.org
When Chris Draft established the Chris Draft Family Foundationin 2006, inspired by some close friends who had cancer, he never imagined that the disease would claim his wife, Keasha, five years later at age 38—less than a month after their wedding. And especially not Stage IV Lung Cancer.
“Most people associate lung cancer with smoking, but Keasha was never a smoker. In fact, we always stayed as far away as possible from any type of smoke because of my asthma,” says Chris, a former NFL linebacker and Stanford University graduate. “Through the Foundation, and the Team Draft initiative, I want to change the face of lung cancer. I want to take away the stigma and show people the advancements that have been made in curing lung cancer – and give people hope.”
Launched by Chris and Keasha on their wedding day in 2011, the Team Draft initiative is dedicated to raising lung cancer awareness and increasing desperately needed research funding for the disease. Because of its stigma as the ‘smoker’s disease’, funding for lung cancer research pales in comparison to that for other major cancers.
According to the most recent statistics, nearly 50 to 60 percent of lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked or are former smokers. Two-thirds of the non-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer are women, and lung cancer has been the number-one cancer killer of women since 1987!
“If we can take away the stigma that says you have to be a smoker to get lung cancer, we have a real chance to educate people about the true nature of the disease,” Chris says. “The reality was that Keasha was in shape, she was strong, she went to the doctor right away. A lot of people diagnosed with lung cancer are just like Keasha,” a fact underscored by last week’s death from lung cancer of disco legend Donna Summer, who was also a non-smoker.
In the five months since Keasha’s death, Team Draft has been leading a national campaign to change the face of lung cancer, which is focused on educating people not only about the disease itself, but also about the hope that exists for individuals diagnosed with lung cancer today, which is much greater than ever before. The current five-year survival rate for lung cancer is about 16 percent, a number that has changed very little since the 1970s, but there is hope.
Team Draft’s national campaign has taken it to nearly 30 of the country’s top cancer research and treatment facilities in more than a dozen states to give inspiration to those living with the disease and encourage leading researchers to continue to share information with each other that can extend the current life expectancy of lung cancer patients. Chris explains, “Our national campaign to change the face of lung cancer gives us a front-line view of the state of lung cancer research and treatment in America, and this is an exciting period in the history of lung cancer treatment.”
In fact, the use of state-of-the-art lung cancer screening techniques is reducing mortality rates by 20 percent in some patient groups while cutting-edge team-based, multidisciplinary treatment procedures are improving the quality of life for lung cancer patients across the country. And thanks to advances in molecular tumor mutation testing, researchers and treating physicians are developing effective personal lung cancer treatments designed to extend and, ultimately, save lives.
“Our hope is not only to positively impact research funding, but also to improve the quality of life for those affected by lung cancer,” says Chris. “We aren’t fighting against lung cancer, we’re fighting for people. That’s why we are changing the face of lung cancer.”
To learn more about the Chris and Keasha, the Chris Draft Family Foundation, including its Team Draft initiative, and the national campaign to change the face of lung cancer, and to respond and donate, please visit http://www.chrisdraftfamilyfoundation.org/about/ and www.teamdraft.org
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Runners and walkers were out at Park Road Park to help raise money for lung cancer research during the Free to Breathe event Saturday morning.
Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Chris Draft lost his wife to lung cancer last December and Saturday he was one of many to take part in the event.
“My wife passed away this past December after battling and tackling lung cancer for a year. This disease is terrible, she did not smoke, she was in great shape but lung cancer is a beast,” Draft said. “I had chance to speak to everyone before the race and thank them for being here.”
The event provides an opportunity for lung cancer advocates, survivors and the community to come together to raise awareness and support in the movement to defeat lung cancer.
All proceeds will benefit the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership’s research, education and awareness programs.
Summer’s was private about her illness, and that there may have been a connection between debris from 9/11 and her lung cancer. However, there are very few details about Summer’s cancer, or if there were any complications that were involved with her death.
The family of the “She Works Hard for the Money” singer issued a statement, AFP reported, which said: “While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”
Lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. The National Cancer Institute reports that there have been 226,160 new cases of lung cancer so far this year, and 160,340 deaths from the disease.
The cancer occurs when tumors form in lung tissue, most commonly in the cells that line the air passages, according to the National Cancer Institute. There are two main types: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer tends to be more aggressive than non-small cell lung cancer, according to Cedars Sinai.
Risk for the disease is highest among smokers, according to the Mayo Clinic, though lung cancer can also occur in never-smokers, too.
In fact, there is some research to suggest that lung cancer in smokers may actually be a separate disease from lung cancer in never-smokers; a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research conference last year suggested that there are DNA differences in the tumors from lung cancer in smokers and lung cancer in nonsmokers, Live Science reported.
Researchers said at the World Conference on Lung Cancer that it can also be caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, radon gas and other carcinogens, as well as air pollution, the American Cancer Society reported. Family history may also play a role.
Older people are more likely to develop lung cancer than young people, with 80 percent of lung cancers occurring in those ages 60 and older, according to MacMillan Cancer Support.
That’s supported by a chart on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website that reveals an increase in lung cancer prevalence as we age. The chart on its site calculates lung cancer risk based on current age. For example, 2.29 percent of men — around two or three for every 100 men — who are currently age 60 will go on to develop lung cancer in the next 10 years. However, that increases to 7.6 percent of men — around seven or eight for every 100 men — when looking ahead to the next 30 years.
Recently, “Big Love” actor Luke Askew and former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno also died of lung cancer.
Via The Huffingtonpost.com
The Laird-Offringa laboratory is focused on identifying changes in the genetic material (DNA) of lung cancer cells, to help us understand how lung cancer develops, and to use as markers for early detection. The kind of molecular change we study is called DNA methylation. DNA methylation is a chemical modification of DNA that doesn’t change the genetic sequence, but does change the way the DNA looks to a cell. Excessive methylation leads to the silencing or inactivation of genes. In cancer cells, DNA methylation is now recognized as a key molecular mechanism for the inactivation of so-called “tumor suppressor genes”. If one thinks of the genetic material as a very thick textbook, with instructions for the cell, DNA methylation can be thought of as post-it notes stuck to the beginning of certain chapters, instructing these chapters to be skipped. The pattern of methylation, or the “methylation profile”, is not the same for all types of cancer. Thus, abnormal methylation changes could provide important insights into the changes that lead to a particular kind of cancer. In addition, they could yield powerful biomarkers that may help the detection of different kinds of cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and Western Europe. Adenocarcinoma, the histological subtype most frequently seen in never smokers and former smokers, is now the most common type of lung cancer in men and women in the United States. The increasing incidence of lung adenocarcinoma and its lethal nature underline the importance of understanding the development and progression of this disease, and the need for the development of accurate tools for early diagnosis. Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and bronchioalveolar carcinoma (BAC), defined as non-invasive lesions, are thought to be sequential precursors along the path of progression to lung adenocarcinoma. Elucidation of the molecular changes underlying the development and progression of lung adenocarcinoma is of great importance for devising targeted drugs and methods of early detection. Respond and Donate
The first AT&T Spotlight Performance of the season on Tuesday night during the elimination round of Dancing With the Stars was extraordinarily moving. Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya were on the dance floor moving ever so gracefully in a tribute to a friend who is fighting a battle for her life.
Julia Ivleva is a world-class professional ballroom dancer who has recently been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Ivleva is known around the world for her moves and her health condition has touched a number of people who care about her. On the elimination show, the emotional dance of two of her friends seemed like such a perfect connection.
Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya took the Dancing With the Stars audience for the performance that seemed almost effortless. Sharing the journey of Ivleva in their inspirational dance, the two were highlighted during the elimination show and the performance was embraced by the fans. With strength and passion, it wasn’t just a simple dance but more like an endless passage of love.
Via : http://www.examiner.com/